


See You Again

by Baamon5evr



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: AU, Background Character Death, F/M, M/M, Matchmaker Sharon, Meet-Cute, Mentions of Cancer, Remeet Cute, Sharon is Peggy and Steve's daughter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-16
Updated: 2015-07-16
Packaged: 2018-04-09 14:53:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4353155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baamon5evr/pseuds/Baamon5evr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some asshole keeps lapping him and it was pissing Sam off.</p>
            </blockquote>





	See You Again

**Author's Note:**

> Based loosely on a tumblr post.

Sam isn't sure how to tell Steve. A part of him doesn't want to tell him at all but he acknowledges that he can't just leave without a word. That would hurt Steve even more. No one knows about them except their closest friends Bucky and Natasha and Sam's sister Sarah. They didn't want to complicate things, they wanted to live in the blissful ignorance that Sam, captain of the basketball team, and Steve, captain of the football team, could somehow end up together with no consequences. But Sam knew that even if his mother knew about them his family would still move. It was too painful for them to remain in New York with all the reminders of the father, the husband, that was taken from them. Gideon was starting to get caught in the wrong crowd. Sam was pushing everyone, including Steve, away and was isolating himself, Sarah's grades were starting to slip and she just barely passed 7th grade so their mother decided they were going to move over Summer break to Washington DC to live with their grandmother there which left Sam with the dilemma of telling Steve.

He left when he knew his mother was asleep. She was taking these anxiety pills that completely knocked her out so Sam took that opportunity to sneak out the front door and run the 25 minutes it usually took to get to Steve's apartment. He threw some pebbles at the window, not wanting to chance the doorbell in case Mrs. Rogers was home. Steve came after a little while looking bewildered and then lighting up when he saw it was Sam. Sam felt a pang in his chest at that smile. He might miss it the most. It took a moment but Steve eventually came downstairs and immediately bounded over to Sam and pulled him in for a kiss. Steve pulled back after a moment, blushing and apologizing.

"I'm sorry. It's just you haven't visited in a while. I know why, I get it. I'm just glad to see you is all." Sam felt another pang in his chest and looked down and away.

"Oh. You're breaking up with me, aren't you?" Steve sounded resigned, like he figured it was a long time coming. In a way it sort of was but probably not for the reason Steve figured.

"It's not because I don't... Steve, I love you." He looked at him and the blonde stared at him with happiness, surprise and confusion.

"Then I don't understand why--"

"We're moving. My family's moving to DC. And before you say it, it's not fair to you to put your life on hold with a long distance relationship when you have so many options here. It's not what I want."

"I..." Steve looked like he'd gotten punched in the gut and it pained Sam, everything that had happened this month and everything that was happening; he wished he could just sleep for a year or two.

"When are you leaving?"

"This weekend."

"That soon?"

"Mom really wants us to get out of here." Sam watched Steve's face run through a myriad of emotions before settling on something like determination.

"Well, we'll just have to spend as much time together before you leave as we can."

"Steve..." Sam tried to hold his tears back but they slipped silently down his face.

"Hey, everything is going to be alright." Steve reassured him stepping close and taking Sam's hand in his.

"How can you say that?" Sam asked, trying to blink past the moisture in his eyes but only succeeding to cloud them even more.

"Because even if we never see each other again you'll always be my first love." Steve reached up and caressed his wet cheek carefully.

"Sam. Sam Wilson. I love you." Sam felt a well of emotion filling his chest before he pulled Steve in tightly by his shoulders and pressed their lips together in a desperate kiss tinged with his salty tears before he detached their lips and pulled him into an even tighter embrace.

Nothing about this was fair but he would learn how unfair life was all throughout his life until one day it wasn't.

**17 years later**

Some asshole keeps lapping him and it was pissing Sam off.

He had began taking a running route around the mall ever since he came back from his last tour. He was used to running alone, perhaps a few joggers gave him a nod when they came past, maybe a salute or two. He wasn't expecting some blonde guy to go shooting past him not once, not twice, not three or four times but five times announcing his presence with an 'on your left' every time. He made a last ditch effort towards the end to chase after the guy but it was no use and he ended up collapsing by a tree. He found that he hadn't been this winded since he had to run with Riley's dumbass from a bar fight that nearly dissolved into a gun fight. So when he first heard his voice, a voice which never faded from him recollection, he was sure it was oxygen deprivation and not real.

"Still can't outrun me, Wilson."

_No way._

Sam looked over quickly before looking down and chuckling to himself.

"Of course it's you. Only you would interrupt an innocent man's morning run to be a little shit." Steve chuckled a little before offering a hand to help Sam stand. He ignored the tingling in his hand that the touch inspired. It was ridiculous to think that after all this time he would still feel sparks when they touched.

"Sam Wilson." He said his name with nostalgic fondness in his voice.

"Steve Rogers." Sam knew he probably mirrored that tone but didn't try to hide it.

"How've you been? Goodness, 17 years, it's been so long."

"Long enough for you to turn into a brickhouse apparently. What have you been doing?" Sam retorted looking Steve over in his painted on T-shirt. Bastard wasn't even sweating.

"Lapping fools like you. Whataya think?" Sam shook his forehead and looked down, briefly noticing a wedding band though it was on the wrong hand.

"I'm sure Natasha appreciates the fruits of your labour." Sam replied, nodding to the ring.

"Still?"

"That was some intense kiss back then."

"We were 16, any kiss was an intense kiss. And like I said then, she did it to make Bucky jealous. They're still together, not married for God only knows what reason. They've got a daughter too, Darcy. I think that's the only reason Aunt Winnie hasn't disowned him for not being married." Sam chuckled a little to himself. He really didn't expect Natasha and Bucky to be the ones settled down.

"So whose the lucky person?"

"Her name was Peggy, Peggy Carter. I met her overseas when I was deployed in Iraq." Steve smiled a smile that was filled with both love and sadness. Sam recognized it all too well.

"Was it the war?" Steve looked a little surprised before he answered.

"Ovarian cancer actually. It was a few years ago, wasn't exactly a surprise but..."

"Yeah, I get it. I did two tours as a pararescue trooper. Flying a standard night mission and a RPG shot my partner, Riley, out of the sky. Nothing I could do, like I was just there to watch." They shared a understanding nod between them before Steve's phone beeped.

"Duty calls. It was nice seeing you again, Sam."

"It was nice seeing you again too. And if you're ever in the neighborhood or bored I wouldn't be opposed to you swinging by the VA, make it look like I actually have a social life to the girl at the front desk."

"Just might do that." Sam watched Steve walk away, doing his utmost not to stare at his ass but failing.

"Steve Rogers..." Sam shook his head to himself. The world worked in weird ways.

**~*~*~**

He doesn't see Steve again for another week though apparently not for lack of trying on the blonde's part. He visited the VA but Sam hadn't been there. He had a bad night after he saw Steve and his supervisor made him stay home. He had spent the last few days there then he ventured out to Leila's place where she kept him for two days and now he finally decided to get out and go on his usual route around the mall. He's twenty minutes into the run when he hears footsteps fast approaching his left side.

"On your left." Before he had time to decide whether he should be happy, exasperated, excited or annoyed, a smaller blonde blasted past his right.

"On your right!" A higher pitched voice said. Sam watched as Steve looked back with a smile, a young blonde girl matching him stride for stride and putting Sam's running to shame. He didn't even try to catch up with them, wasn't worth the pain. He accepted being lapped for another thirty minutes before collapsing against the same tree he had last time.

"You need a medic?" He looked over to see the young blonde girl approaching him.

"I need a new set of lungs. Girl, you just ran 13 miles in 30 minutes."

"Must've started late."

"You should be ashamed of yourself. Should take another lap. Did you just take it? I assume you just took it." The girl began to giggle as Steve appeared behind her with a mile wide grin on his face.

"She teasing you?" Steve asked.

"No, I was just saying how good his running is... if that's what you call running." Sam scoffed as Steve groaned and the girl smiled with accomplishment.

"Oh, so that's how it is?" Sam asked incredulously.

"Ooh, that's how it is." The girl confirmed. Sam looked at Steve as he looked down with what looked like embarrassment.

"Sam, this is my daughter Sharon. Sharon this is an old friend of mine from high school, Sam Wilson."

"Your friend? I've heard you and Mom talk enough to know who he is. Plus, you spent the last week gushing to Aunt Nat and Uncle Bucky about him, I thought Sam Wilson was your ex-boyfriend." Sam looked at Steve with a raised eyebrow and he blushed even deeper.

"I'm going to the smoothie truck. Give you fellas some time to catch up, rekindle the romance or whatever." Sharon said before merrily skipping herself away.

"As you can see, Sharon has no filter whatsoever. Gets it from her mother."

"I'm sure you had nothing to do with it." Sam deadpanned whilst standing to his feet. Steve chuckled a little in response.

"I heard you made good and visited the VA. How was it?"

"The girl at the front desk, Leila is it? Well she was more than a little surprised you actual have a life outside the VA let alone that someone would visit you." Sam knew that much. Leila had said something along the lines of believing he simply disappeared when work was over then blinked back into existence when he was needed.

"I caught the last few minutes of one of the sessions it was pretty intense."

"We all got the same problems really. Anxiety, anger, fear, guilt."

"Your wingman right?"

"Mm-hmm, Riley."

"You know, we almost lost Bucky over there. He lost his arm after his Humvee ran over an IED and then mentally he wasn't... Leila showed me some videos of your sessions. You're good, you're  _really_  good. I don't think I could do what you do." Sam scoffed a little.

"I just say things that sound pretty. Things I don't believe a third of the time.

"Maybe but those people believe you and sometimes that's the only thing that can keep us going." Sam nodded, he understood that.

"Hey!" Both men snapped their heads towards the smoothie truck where Sharon had now acquired her drink.

"Why do you guys look so serious?! Flirt with each other or somethin'!" Sam began laughing as Steve turned beet juice red.

"Drink your smoothie and mind your business!" Steve retorted as the girl gave the truck vendor a look of long-suffering. Steve looked back, not looking any less red.

"You still blush with your whole body." Sam observed.

"You used to call me Captain America because I turned from white to red so quickly and blue if it was cold. Peggy always said it was a true enough nickname." Steve recalled fondly.

"So, your wife Peggy, she was fine with all of it when you told her about us?"

"Peggy was an open-minded person and my bisexuality didn't bother her. It's ended some relationships with both men and women before and after but Peggy never minded and never lied to Sharon about it. And Riley, was he just your wingman?"

"Yeah, we were never like that. He was... my Bucky I guess. We didn't know each other nearly as long but you know how there's just some people you get and connect with even after not knowing each other for long? That was Riley for me." Steve nodded his head understandingly.

"Yeah, I get that." Sam was about to say something back when he heard a loud groan come from his left. He turned to see Sharon stomping her way towards them looking like she was on a mission. He was pretty sure he heard her mumbling something along the lines of 'gotta do everything myself.' The girl stopped between he and Steve and placed her hands on her hips.

"Are you a serial killer, Sam?"

"What?"

"You know, ax-wielding psychopath?"

"No..."

"Cannibalistic sociopath?"

"Nope."

"Fanatical cultist?"

"Mm-mmm."

"You busy tonight?"

"No plans after work."

"Well then, I would love to invite you over to dinner at our place. Need my dad's permission for a guest first but if he says 'yes'--"

"And I do say yes." Steve threw in.

"Then all you gotta do is agree." Sam looked between the two blondes wondering how many dates Steve's gotten this way and then realized he didn't care. Steve had always been a huge 'what if?' in his life. The chances of them meeting each other again were incredibly slim and he'd be an idiot not to answer some of the questions that still lingered nearly 20 years later.

"You know what, I'd love to join you. Especially if Steve still makes pasta every Tuesday."

"Without fail."

"Who could say no to that?" Steve beamed brightly at Sam, the same smile he remembered and could never not fall prey to.

"That's how you do it, old man." Sharon said patting Steve's shoulder before making her way back to the truck to commiserate with the vendor.

"Your daughter always get you dates?" Sam asked with a chuckle.

"Is it? A date, I mean?"

"You want it to be?"

"Won't hear any objections from me." Sam leaned forward and kissed Steve on his cheek before beginning to walk away backwards.

"I gotta go. Don't want to be late for my date later."

**~*~*~**

Steve's house as it turned out was only twenty minutes away from Sam's. It was a nice place, the walls were painted blue and the furniture was all mostly contemporary. In the living room there was one wall by the window with rows of vinyl records and on the opposite was a large bookshelf. There was a piano pushed to the opposite corner and a record player was on a stand next to it. The room sported a white stone fireplace and surrounding it was a multitude of pictures. Sam walked up and observed them. There were pictures of Sarah Rogers and Steve when he was younger with Bucky. He recognized some pictures of Bucky's family who Steve was close to and Natasha thrown into the mix. There were a few pictures of Bucky, Natasha and a small dark haired girl who he assumed was their daughter Darcy and he noticed Bucky's left arm was missing. Sam was surprised to see some pictures of him thrown in there with Steve, Bucky and Nat. There were pictures of Steve in what looked like a war zone and then there were pictures of him with a beautiful brunette woman. His wedding picture was among them and he had to admit Peggy was a vision, she was a gorgeous woman and Steve looked genuinely happy in his pictures with her.

"I see how Ms. Peggy caught your attention."

"She was a beautiful woman no doubt but the first time I really looked at her in that way was when she punched out this sexist douchebag who was catcalling her and her friends. That moment I knew if she ever gave me the chance, I'd marry that woman."

"Lucky you. I'd marry her too." Sam looked over as Sharon came up next to him and grabbed a photo of Peggy holding a baby Sharon in her arms. She caressed the image lovingly before she turned around and made her way upstairs.

"I'm going to my room. This is supposed to be a date, just pretend I'm not here." She said, not turning to face them as she walked away, the picture in hand. Sam watched her go, feeling concern well in his chest but Steve dispelled it with a smile.

"She's okay, she just needs space and she is right, this is supposed to be a date. Peggy would kick my ass if I made this all about her." Steve held his hand out to Sam. He took it and let Steve lead him to another room was there was a table set up with pasta and wine with candles.

"Candlelit dinner, for me?" Steve shrugged and led Sam to the table, pulling his seat out for him.

It actually went well, it had always been easy to talk to Steve. had always come naturally but 17 years was a long time to be apart. They came together seamlessly and managed to catch each other up with everything they'd missed in each other's lives, the good and the bad. Sometimes it did get heavy and they had to take a moment to breath but it was never uncomfortable, Sam had never felt uncomfortable around Steve.

It becomes a routine eventually, Sam always sees Steve and Sharon on his morning runs and he stops by the house for pasta Tuesdays. He invites them over on Fridays for dinner and a movie and Sharon always falls asleep on Sam's right side with Steve resting his head on his left shoulder. Steve sometimes visits Sam on his lunch break at the VA. Steve has a list of restaurants he wants to try out and Sam accompanies him so they can cross things off their list.

It's on another pasta Tuesday, Sharon had decided to stay at Steve's friends Clint and Laura's place and he and Steve had been enjoying the night together when Steve suddenly gave him a smile before getting up from his seat and leaving the room. Sam sat curiously waiting and then a familiar rhythm filled the room and he couldn't help the laugh that escapes him as Steve comes back into the room, a grin still on his face.

"You remember this?" Steve said, starting to step side to side and snap his fingers as 'Troubleman' floated through the house.

"Boy, I introduced you to this."

"Well, then come over here and join me or do I need to show you how it's done?" He continued spinning around smoothly.

"So someone learned moves while I was gone." Sam said with a hint of incredulity in his voice and he stood up and removed his blazer.

"Oh, I got moves."

"We'll see about that." He and Steve danced together almost to the whole track trying to outdo each other but eventually they came together and Steve's hand rested on Sam's shoulder as he led them gently in a simple two step.

"You know I always wondered if I'd ever see you again and what it'd be like if I did." Steve said softly.

"Yeah? How'd you imagine it?"

"Changed over the years. At first it was all very dramatic. We'd have a kiss in the pouring rain or something else equally teen angsty enough. I'd think of just running into you at a fraternity party and things would get a little heated. Then I met Peggy and we got serious and I figured if we met then it'd be nice and I'd be happy and maybe we could be friends some how, have some closure. After she died and I started dating again I actually hoped I'd meet you. I didn't really think I could stomach being with anyone else after her and then I see this guy, this really hot guy, running around the mall. To my shock and surprise it's Sam Wilson, my first love, the only real love I could ever see myself wanting again."

"Sounds like a swell guy."

"He is a swell guy. A swell guy indeed. Well I musta watched this guy for a week before actually talking to him, I didn't know what I would say or how to say it. I thought I'd say something stupid at first so showing him up and showing off my ass in the process seemed to be the way to go."

"Well you got my attention if nothing else in your painted on shirt. You ain't low, Steve Rogers. Not one stealthy bone in your body."

"Suppose not, specially not for people I care for a lot." Steve smiled at Sam softly and he felt a smile tug on his lips even as his brows furrowed a little.

"Seventeen years is a long time."

"I know but if the last few months have taught me anything about the two of us is that we're easy. It's easy to know you and understand you and love you, I've always loved you, I never stopped. Figured it was just something that I'd always live with, just a truth that... was, but here you are and here I am and If you're inclined to it I wouldn't throw away this obvious opportunity for anything in the world right now." Sam stared at Steve as they stopped swaying but their bodies stayed close together.

"And if I said that was what I wanted?"

"I'd say you have me, you've always had me." Sam leaned forward and Steve closed the gap between them, their lips meeting for the first time in two decades. The kiss felt different, they were older, more experienced so there was more coordination, more finesse but there was still a rushed, heady heaviness to it and Steve's lips were still pillowy soft if a bit cold to the touch but a sweet kind of cold, an inviting kind of cold and Sam reveled in it, reveled in having Steve back in his arms where he'd always wanted him to be.


End file.
